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RUSSELL CROWE stars in ?Robin Hood?, the epic action-adventure about the legendary figure whose exploits have endured in popular mythology and ignited the imagination of those who share his spirit of adventure and righteousness.

Photo Credit: David Appleby

RUSSELL CROWE stars in ?Robin Hood?, the epic action-adventure about the legendary figure whose exploits have endured in popular mythology and ignited the imagination of those who share his spirit of adventure and righteousness.

Rico Torres

(left to right) Adrien Brody and Alice Braga in Predators.

Franois Duhamel

Hollywood's four months of summer promise a variety of interesting movie story lines.

Mind you, few will look at any 2010 summer title and begin planning Oscar campaigns - although one at least hopes that Chris Nolan, having been given cart blanche by Warner Bros., will blow our minds with his little-explained "Inception."

Russell Crowe and director Ridley Scott team up for a fifth time. And if they could earn Oscar votes with "Gladiator," which not all of us saw coming, there's no reason to say they are out of their league remaking "Robin Hood."

Still, the only summertime Academy Awards race probably lies in the Best Animated Film category.

This summer, audiences have familiar sequels, 3-D effects, big budget action movies and the opportunity to see stars ranging from Tom Cruise to Julia Roberts to Angelina Jolie. Josh Brolin even delivers a cowboy movie in "Jonah Hex."

Biggest blockbuster

The buzz is deafening for "Iron Man 2." Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow return as Tony Stark and Pepper Potts. Every good superhero needs a great villain, or two; this time Tony fights a Russian baddie in Mickey Rourke's Whiplash, and look out for Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow.

Still, I see grosses exploding even more for the "Twilight Saga" chapter: "Eclipse."

I know, how long can Kristen Stewart's Bella keep werewolf Jacob (Taylor Lautner) on a string while she throws herself at vampire Edward (Robert Pattinson)? The millions who have read the books want to see this story play out.

Robin Hood and Woody, Buzz, Shrek, Donkey and Fiona also battle for first place, but they fit better in other categories.

New stories

The movie I most want to see is "Inception." No, the proper response is not, "Huh?"

Nolan won us over with "Memento," set the scene with the excellent "Batman Begins" before delivering contemporary classic "The Dark Knight," and also entertained with "The Prestige." "Inception" is a personal project, but the studio wants to keep Christopher happy. His movie stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a team owning the technology to enter dreams and swipe crucial details.

Brolin and Megan Fox co-star in dark western "Jonah Hex," based on a DC comic. Jonah is a bit of a sci-fi cowboy and a part-time bounty hunter. John Malkovich is the villain.

Big budget action

Crowe originally was set to play the villain, i.e., the king of Nottingham, in "Robin Hood." Smarter heads prevailed. Cate Blanchett is said to be no weakling as Lady Marion. Scott knows how to film epic battle sequences.

I had a place reserved under duds for "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time." But darn it, Jake Gyllenhaal is such a good actor and, after hating "Clash of the Titans," I'm hoping for a good Sand & Swords adventure. Plus, this story can be credited to producer Jerry Bruckheimer; you may recall how most called him crazy for casting Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow in a movie based on a Disneyland theme ride.

Possible duds

I say possible, not probable.

I hope I am wrong about "The Last Airbender," because I've about given up hope for director M. Night Shyamalan, who gave us "The Sixth Sense" and is close to being thrown out of studio offices unless he offers "The Sixth Sense 2." OK, "Signs" was a hit, and "Unbreakable" is my favorite Shyamalan movie.

But he is slumping.

"The Last Airbender" is a series titled "Avatar" on the Nickelodeon network. Shyamalan introduces a boy (Noah Ringer) who hopes to forge a truce between warring tribes. Shyamalan has no surprise ending; he's hoping to begin a trilogy.

"Sex and the City 2." Where does Carrie go after getting the closet of her dreams? Director Michael Patrick King opts to leave Mr. Big in the Big Apple, while Carrie and Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha enjoy the riches of Abu Dhabi.

"The Sorcerer's Apprentice?" Obviously, the first version saw Mickey Mouse lose total control of broomsticks hauling water. This may not even be mentioned, as the new Disney film casts Nicolas Cage as a wizard with a weird haircut, and Jay Baruchel as his assistant.

Probable worst decision: Transforming 1970s TV show "The A Team" into a movie.

Scary?

The original director and stars are nowhere to be seen, but anyone who has seen any version of the off-planet, big game (alien)-hunters called "Predators" will rush to see the new film from Texas director Robert Rodriguez. Adrien Brody, Danny Trejo, Alice Braga and Topher Grace co-star.

Can George A. Romero keep his zombie series alive with "Survival of the Dead?"

Movie stars

I'm betting all my chips on Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz, over stars Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigl. Somehow two separate action comedies were filmed with an almost identical plot.

In "Knight and Day," Cruise is a secret agent who meets and falls for Cameron. She is a bit frightened by his career to begin with, but soon enough they're working on action-packed missions together. (It also owes a lot of Brad Smith and Angelina Jolie's "Mr. and Mrs. Smith.") But guess what. In "Killers," Kutcher is an undercover agent/killer, and Heigl is the lover who must learn to murder or be left behind. Will audiences want both versions?

Speaking of Jolie, she's opening action movie "Salt" on her own. The script included a character named Edwin Salt, to be pitched to Cruise or Matt Damon. Instead, Jolie speaks up - and Edwin became Evelyn Salt, a CIA agent on the run after being accused of being a Russian double agent.

More action: Sylvester Stallone wrote and directed "The Expendables." He also stars as a mercenary hired to overthrow a dictator, and is joined by Stone Cold Steve Austin, Jason Statham, Mickey Rourke, Dolph Lundgren and, in camero roles, Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Jackie Chan trains Will Smith's son, Jaden Smith, in a remake of "The Karate Kid."

Animated excitement

All three major animated movies arrive in 3-D, but appear wonderful, regardless.

In "Toy Story 3," writers have aged the characters. With Andy headed to college, his favorite toys become secondhand donations, hoping kind children will play with them. But instead, another escape must take place, even after Barbie meets Ken.

"Shrek Forever After" finds Shrek swindled by Rumplestiltskin. No longer do Fiona or Donkey even recognize him - and Puss has just let himself go.